Woodhaven Community Development, Inc.

The Woodhaven Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan is a comprehensive study, analysis, and action plan combining creative visions from the community with pragmatic financial data. This unique approach to neighborhood planning comes after sixteen years of efforts by concerned citizens, property owners, and the City of Fort Worth to address challenges and opportunities in the Woodhaven neighborhood.

In response to escalating crime and stagnant property values, community members formed the Woodhaven Neighborhood Association (WNA) in 1989. The WNA partnered with the Fort Worth Police Department and initiated communication with apartment owners/investors to address increased criminal activity in the neighborhood. Then in 1998, community members and other partners created the Woodhaven Community Development Corporation to encourage economic development. The Woodhaven CDC established an apartment inspection ordinance, created a Crime Free Multi-Family Housing program with the Fort Worth Police Department, lobbied for Interstate-30 ramp improvements, and implemented a two-year public relations campaign. In addition, the City of Fort Worth, working in partnership with community organizations and other public and private entities, initiated several policy, planning, and redevelopment efforts. Some of these efforts included tutoring programs and a new regional library, targeted zoning changes, maintenance and code compliance policies, a new police substation, and a Neighborhood Empowerment Zone.

In September 2003 The National Conference for Community and Justice, The Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods, and The Fort Worth Human Relations Commission presented a joint resolution to the City Council, "To promote the integration and dispersion of affordable housing into the mainstream of Fort Worth through a public policy process."

To address this joint resolution, the City requested Leland Consulting Group and staff to research best practices related to dispersion and recommend policies and strategies. The report produced by the Leland Consulting Group proposed an amendment to current housing policies, which would encourage the dispersion of low-income housing units throughout the city. Leland's report also recommended that the City provide investment tools such as loans and grants, assistance with property acquisition and assemblage, credit enhancements, tax abatements and waivers, and a streamlined approval process. These policies were eventually incorporated in the 2004 Comprehensive Plan and catalyzed a city-wide effort to identify and rank potential neighborhoods to demonstrate these new policies. Because of high community interest, previous revitalization efforts, and potential market presence, the City chose the Woodhaven neighborhood as its first demonstration area. Then in the fall of 2004, a selection panel chose Gideon Toal to prepare the Woodhaven Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan.